Kodak OLEDing the Way Again

Kodak, once the leading light in the photography biz were famously caught by surprise by the speed at which digital photography took. Despite launching some useful digicams, it has never really come close to regaining its former status. Now, however, they’re leading the way once again, this time with the world’s first consumer photo frame using OLED or Organic Light Emitting Diode technology.

OLEDs, in case you didn’t know, are super thin, and unlike LCDs, do not rely on a backlight. They also offer superior contrast ratios and although not a factor in this application, can be made to be flexible. The display used in this frame is 7.6 inches (measured diagonally); it’s a widescreen format with 800 x 480 pixel resolution and it boasts a contrast ratio of 30,000:1. The viewing angle – another OLED advantage – is 180 degrees. In addition to a multi-format memory card reader there’s a built-in wireless adaptor so you can upload images and videos from a PC, and download them to printers, picture sharing and online processors. The 2Gb of on-board memory can store up to 10,000 photos and it will be available from November. Here comes the crunch, it’s not going to be cheap and the US retail price is expected to be $999 or a touch over £500. Form an orderly queue now.